COT

FRANCE (see also List of Individuals)

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15.10.1873 Fontenay-le-Comte/F - 1961 Fatonville/F

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Donatien Cot graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in 1892 to enter the Corps of hydrographical engineers. He remained active in the French Marine all through his career and attained the highest position of general of hydrographical engineers in 1932, thereby succeeding Eugène Fichot (1867-1939). Cot thus took over the direction of the hydrographical service until 1938 and continued later as director of the Bureau des Longitudes.

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At the time of Cot's graduation, the hydrographical service had two major tasks: (1) Improved sea floor mapping due to a number of boat groundings, and (2) Mapping of the thousands of coastal kilometers of the French colonial Empire for security reasons. Between 1895 and 1899, Cot was stationed at the French Mediterranean Coast, then for two years in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, followed by stays in Brittany and from 1910 to 1913 in Indochina. Cot in parallel improved the methods of depth gauging. He was also interested in the determination of the rock surface below a sandy sea floor by drilling. This information was important to predict a possible sea floor erosion and the optimum location for structural foundation in coastal waters. After World War I he was stationed in Cherbourg as a specialist in aerial mapping of both the estuarine sea floor and the movement of tides into inland waters. From 1920 to 1930, Cot directed the French hydrographical service in Paris to take over the entire service in 1932. From 1939, Cot was a Member of the Bureau des Longitudes presiding it during the term 1945/46. From 1947, Cot was vice-president of the National Committee of Geodesy and Geophysics and was elected Honorary President in 1956. After having been elected to the Académie des Sciences, he was promoted to Grand-Officer of Légion d'Honneur. He was awarded a large number of distinctions that reflect his outstanding qualities.

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_{Anonymous (1946). Notice sur les travaux scientifiques de M. Cot. Gauthier-Villars: Paris. Anonymous (2001). Donatien Cot. Who's who in France, XX siècle: 538. Pelletan: Levallois. Cot, D. (1945). Ephémérides aéronautiques - Bureau des Longitudes. Gauthier-Villars: Paris. Cot, J.F. (2006). Donatien Cot. Personal communication. P}

_{Gougenheim, A. (1964). Donatien Cot. Annuaire Bureau des Longitudes: B1-B8.}

_{Hugon, X. (1960). Eloge de M. l'ingénieur hydrographe Général D. Cot. Communications et Mémoires de l'Académie de la Marine: 233-243. http://www.vinci.com/appli/vnc/lvrvnc.nsf/(tout)/68A359615BFB1261C1256F5B0056F115?OpenDocument http://www.vinci.com/appli/vnc/lvrvnc.nsf/(tout)/68A359615BFB1261C1256F5B0056F115? http://www.vinci.com/appli/vnc/lvrvnc.nsf/(tout)/68A359615BFB1261C1256F5B0056F115?OpenDocument OpenDocumenthttp://www.vinci.com/appli/vnc/lvrvnc.nsf/(tout)/68A359615BFB1261C1256F5B0056F115?OpenDocument . http://www.vinci.com/appli/vnc/lvrvnc.nsf/(tout)/68A359615BFB1261C1256F5B0056F115?OpenDocument P}